the future of science

The Doctor's Doctor: How To Be An Internist In Five Minutes

2008-10-27T08:45:00.001-07:00

Internists are known as the doctor's doctor. The breadth of knowledge for internists is enormous. I often laugh at the computer science folks who do drivebyes on my blog and claim that one day a computer will neatly categorize all illness into neat algorithms and make me expendable. It is simply not possible. As an internist, I manage the whole body. And the evaluation and management I perform on

Bisphenol A

2008-10-27T08:28:00.001-07:00

Bisphenol A (BPA) is a chemical compound used to create polycarbonate plastic and epoxy resins. BPA-derived plastics, commercially produced since the 1950s, have become ubiquitous because of their shatter resistance, visual clarity, high heat resistance, and electrical resistance. Polycarbonate plastics are found in an enormous range of products, including eyeglass lenses, CDs and DVDs, personal

Beta Blockers Worsen Blood Sugar--May Cause Diabetes

2008-10-27T07:23:00.001-07:00

Many people know that it is a bad idea for anyone who takes insulin or a sulfonylurea drug to take a beta blocker. This is because it has long been known that these drugs block the counter-regulatory response that prevents a dangerous hypo or--if it cannot prevent the hypo--at least gives the victim some warning that one is coming by causing shakes and pounding pulse. Now evidence from a huge

Xylitol May Prevent Early Childhood Tooth Decay

2008-10-27T07:15:00.001-07:00

Photo courtesy of iStockphoto, Craig Veltri In a recent clinical trial, researchers report a significant reduction of tooth decay in toddlerstreated with the topical syrupxylitol, a naturally occurring non-cavity-causing sweetener. Researchers reported that nearly 76% of the children in the group who received xylitol were free of tooth decay by the end of the study, compared with 48% of

New Tuberculosis Vaccine Goes Into Clinical Trials

2008-10-27T07:12:00.001-07:00

After 80 years, a new live vaccine against tuberculosis enters clinical trials this week. The new vaccine, VPM1002, is based on a vaccine that has been in use since 1921, and has been genetically engineered to prevent infection with tuberculosis bacteria much more effectively than its predecessor. "The BCG tuberculosis vaccine, which was developed by French researchers, is the most frequently

Medical Mystery: Only One Person Has Survived Rabies without Vaccine--But How?

2008-10-27T06:53:00.001-07:00

RABIES SURVIVOR: Jeanna Giese plays with her dog Maggie in her yard last summer in Fond du Lac, Wisc. The medical marvel survived rabies without vaccination. AP Photo/Morry Gash Four years after she nearly died from rabies, Jeanna Giese is being heralded as the first person known to have survived the virus without receiving a preventative vaccine. But Giese (pronounced Gee-See) says she

Will More Stroke Patients Receive Thrombolytics Now?

2008-10-27T03:55:00.001-07:00

According to this article in the September 25th edition of the New England Journal of Medicine, alteplase improves the outcomes in stroke patients up to 4.5 hours after symptom onset. Previously, the “window” of effectiveness was only three hours. The clinical trial criteria are here. The percentage of patients having a favorable outcome at 90 days in this study wasn’t huge, but was

Don’t Always Trust The Machines

2008-10-27T03:48:00.001-07:00

I’m going through a patient’s chart to find an old EKG and this is what I came across. Not sure which concerns me more - the fact that the EKG machine reads a blank EKG as sinus bradycardia and nonspecific ST abnormality (at least it got the “abnormal ECG” part correct) or … the fact that it was confirmed by the cardiologist. I know the cardiologist that read this EKG is a good doctor and a

Commom Phrases Used in Research Communications and What They Really Mean

2008-10-27T02:41:00.001-07:00

“It has long been known” …. I didn’t look it up “A definite trend is evident” … These data are practically meaningless. “While it has not been possible to provide definite answers to the questions” … An unsuccessful experiment, but I still hop to get it published. “Three of the samples were chosen for detailed study” … The other results didn’t make any sense. “Typical

Unfortunate Bodies: 7 Unbelievable Genetic Accidents

2008-10-27T02:08:00.001-07:00

Frog-like Baby (unidentified baby - Nepal) On 2006, this bizarre-looking baby was born in Charikot, the headquarters of Dolakha district, attracting a huge number of onlookers to witness the astonishing sight. The neck-less baby with its head almost totally sunk into the upper part of the body and with extraordinarily large eyeballs literally popping out of the eye-sockets, was born to Nir

Scientific studies show. . .

2008-10-27T01:33:00.001-07:00

“Scientific studies have shown. . .” “Recent research suggests. . .” “A study presented recently reported. . .” These types of phrases are used daily in the popular media to report on medical and scientific studies which produce results the general population may find interesting. They’re also used regularly by those trying to convince you to buy certain products (e.g., supplements), follow

Quiz Questions for the USMLE

2008-10-27T01:31:00.001-07:00

Preparing for the United States Medical Licensing Exam Step 1, 2 or 3 is difficult, time-consuming, and anxiety-provoking. Knowing the information cold is the best way to ace the test. Although the test is multiple-choice, studies have shown that being able to answer unkeyed questions shows a higher level of mastery of the material. Try these to see how you are doing... Question 1 A

Top Ten Ways to Annoy Your Physician

2008-10-27T01:24:00.001-07:00

Bring a long list of complaints. Many popular articles I’ve seen recently encourage patients to bring a long list of problems to their doctor appointments. Don’t. Physicians just do not have time to appropriately address numerous complaints during one office visit. If you try to do to much, each complaint does not receive the attention and evaluation it deserves. Instead, make a list

Medicine the man-whore

2008-10-27T01:15:00.001-07:00

Like many young doctors, I get asked a couple of the same questions over and over and over again. Would you do it again? Any advice to premeds? Would you encourage your children to become doctors? Or some other variation of "Are you happy doing what you do?" The short answer is 'yes.' I love being a doctor. I love being called 'doctor.' I am proud to tell people I am a doctor.

Interpreting the Medical Literature

2008-10-27T01:07:00.001-07:00

The science in science-based medicine includes all of science, but relies most heavily on the biomedical literature - published studies that collectively represent our scientific medical knowledge. The scientific basis of medicine is only as good as this body of knowledge and the manner in which it is interpreted and put into practice. We often discuss on this blog how to evaluate individual

This is One Way We Do Not Want to be Like the Japanese

2008-10-27T01:04:00.001-07:00

The Japanese - an efficient, healthful group of people. People rooted in culture. People who cherish their elders. People who keel over from being overworked. Say what? Yes, it’s true. While America is sometimes looked at as slovenly and over-privileged, our Japanese pals are working so hard, they’re launching themselves into the grave. This has become such an epidemic, in fact, that it even

Extremist Muslim Doctors Do More Than Heal

2008-10-27T00:38:00.001-07:00

When I initially read the article Radical Muslim doctors and what they mean for the NHS, I thought about the Catholic Church. Now, before anyone gets all upset, let me clarify: I am not in anyway connecting Catholic and radical Muslim ideology. Instead, I see a historical connection between the political clout the Catholic Church once had and the religious influence many Muslim doctors now have.

Mirror on the Wall - Stroke Rehabilitation

2008-10-27T00:35:00.001-07:00

Stroke patients may have a new tool in their rehabilitation shed: a mirror. A study presented at the 6th World Stroke Congress in Vienna, Austria, in September 2008 suggests that adding mirror therapy to traditional rehabilitation programs may speed the recovery of stroke patients. Mirror therapy is used to treat phantom limb pain after amputation, but may now enhance the rehabilitation of

How to type fast easy without looking keyboard

2008-10-12T08:28:00.000-07:00

So you always envied your colleague who types without looking at the keyboard? You always thought life would have been much better if you had joined a typing class. You thought your productivity would skyrocket if you knew you could ‘think’ while your fingers did all the typing…Well, my friend, I’ll tell you all the secrets of rapid typing. I didn’t join any typing course in my life. But yes, I

Alternative Energy Source For Your Brain

2008-10-04T09:24:00.000-07:00